In its heyday, Atlantic City was a popular destination for holiday makers and beach lovers, and - when casinos were legalized - also attracted visitors who liked a game of chance. In its golden days, the Atlantic City boardwalk was lively, restaurants were full, shops were bustling, and jobs were abundant.
Atlantic City in its heyday
With the rising popularity of other vacation sites, Atlantic City lost its cachet - and the once rocking boardwalk is now almost empty, half the casinos are closed, work is hard to come by, and there's a scent of decay in the air.
Atlantic City in decline
Worse yet, there's a LITERAL smell in the marsh behind the deteriorating Sunset Motel.
There, two murdered women are posed so their fingers are almost touching and their heads are facing the city lights. By the end of eight weeks there will be five more bodies, victims of a serial killer who preys on women who trade sex for money. The deceased call out in their spectral voices, but almost no one hears them.
Atlantic City is a promising hunting ground for a vicious predator, since damaged females flock to the area - which is rife with drug abuse, prostitution, and lawlessness.
Over the course of the story we meet several murder victims, who are running from bad husbands, abusive homes, troubling circumstances, or their own inner demons. Moreover, the unlucky women - who vanish suddenly - hardly make a blip on the radar. At best a relative may ask around and put up missing person posters, which generally render few results.
The story focuses on three troubled residents of Atlantic City: Clara, Lily, and Luis.
Clara is a 16-year-old high school dropout who works as a Tarot card reader in a shabby boardwalk shop. Clara's mother ran off years ago, leaving the girl in the care of her Aunt Des, who taught Clara to hustle, steal, con, and more.
Nevertheless, Clara has a real psychic gift, and she 'hears' the cries of the murdered women - though she doesn't realize what they are. Clara is desperate to leave town, and is saving money to join her mother in California, whom she hasn't heard from in four years.
Lily is an Atlantic City native who graduated from Vassar and moved to New York City to work in an art gallery. After a devastating betrayal by her sculptor boyfriend Matthew, Lily returned to Atlantic City and got a job in a hotel spa.
Lily plans to stay in Atlantic City for only a couple of months, until she has enough money to return to New York and restart her career. Lily still mourns the tragic death of her beloved father, who perished after a terrible accident.
Luis is a deaf and dumb, mentally challenged janitor who works at the same hotel spa as Lily.
Luis is constantly bullied by local toughs, right under the noses of the cops, who just laugh. Luis often thinks about his deceased grandfather, who raised and cared for him.
Lily and Clara come together when the Tarot card reader and her Aunt Des mosey into the spa to solicit clients for readings. Lily is instructed to throw the intruders out, but Clara impresses Lily with a 'psychic insight' before she goes. This leads to a friendship between Lily and Clara, and to an eventual alliance to 'help' the missing women.
In the meantime, Lily becomes acquainted with her mother's neighbor Mildred, who has a stash of Atlantic City paintings acquired by her late husband. Lily is immediately taken with the pictures and determines to find the artist - whose signature is indecipherable.
As Lily and Clara go about their business, they're observed by deaf and dumb Luis, who's taken an innocent interest in both ladies.
Luis sees things that aren't obvious to everyone, like a strange man lurking around. When Luis tries to communicate this, though, he can't make himself understood, which is unfortunate all around.
The story exposes the sleazy demimonde of Atlantic City, where women - especially prostitutes - are used and abused. There's one harrowing scene after another as females repeatedly put themselves into frightening situations, and scumbag men take advantage of their neediness.
This is a well-written story that grabbed my attention and held it from beginning to end. The book also provides a realistic portrait of a once vibrant city that's succumbing to unemployment, drug addiction, and felons - and it's a sad thing to see.
This is more of a crime novel than a mystery, and I'd recommend it to people who enjoy that genre.
Thanks to Netgalley, the author (Caitlin Mullen), and the publisher (Gallery Books) for a copy of the book.
Rating: 4 stars
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